Binding

Heinrich Harrer, already a famous mountaineer and Olympic ski champion, was climbing in the Himalayas when the Second World War erupted in Europe. An Austrian national, he was imprisoned by the British in India. With an almost super-human effort, he succeeded in escaping from the internment camp and fled into Tibet and the forbidden city of Lhasa, the first Westerner to lay eyes on this holiest of places.

For seven years Harrer learned the language and acquired a greater understanding of the Tibetans than any Westerner had ever before achieved. He became the fried and tutor of the young Dalai Lama and finally accompanied him to India when he fled the Red Chinese invasion. A travel-writing landmark, this is a stunning story of incredible courage and self-reliance set against the backdrop of a mysterious and magnificent culture.

REVIEWS

This is an absorbing and remarkable travel tale that also gives unparalleled accounts of the life and customs of an inaccessible region.-Sunday Times

Some books, like some mountains, are lonely and unrivalled peaks. This is one of them.-Economist

Contents

MESSAGE FROM THE DALAI LAMA

INTRODUCTION BY PETER FLEMING

PREFACE

InternmentEscapeInto TibetThe Village of HappinessOn the MoveThe Worst Trek of AllThe Forbidden CityCalm WatersAsylum GrantedLife in Lhasa-ILife in Lhasa-IIAn Attempted Coup d’EtatCommissions from the GovernmentTibet Prepares for TroubleTutor to the Dalai LamaTibet is InvadedI Leave Tibet